The F Word is Fixing

You're not addicted to fixing because you're broken. You learned to fix because somewhere, someone made you feel like being you wasn't enough.

Listen to the podcast episode here

We all know the F word we’re not supposed to say — it’s not professional, it’s not ladylike. But there’s another F word that’s even sneakier, and it’s running the show in so many women’s lives: Fixing.

Fixing hides in your morning routine. It dresses itself up as discipline. It lingers in your planner, your skincare lineup, your commitment to “being better.” But what if I told you fixing isn't a sign of growth — it's a sign of survival?

Let’s Talk About It

Fixing is often a nervous system strategy. It shows up when your body doesn’t feel safe — when being in your skin feels uncomfortable, unfamiliar, or disconnected.

We fix as a way to feel in control.
To distract ourselves.
To override discomfort.
To avoid the emotion that’s trying to surface.

It looks like:

• Buying a new supplement after a tough week

• Scheduling an IV drip or a facial after burnout

• Jumping into a 10-step wellness routine out of nowhere

• Obsessing over your cycle, sleep, or hormone tracking

• Reading another self-help book instead of grieving

• Launching the “perfect” plan to avoid sitting in uncertainty

And none of it makes you wrong.
It makes you human.

But when fixing becomes a default way of being — it creates a chronic loop of hypervigilance. Even when your calendar is full of “wellness.”

What’s Really Happening in the Body

Chronic fixing = chronic survival.

When your nervous system is stuck in sympathetic overdrive (fight/flight) or in dorsal collapse (freeze), your body can’t prioritize glow. Or weight regulation. Or clarity. Or presence.

Because biologically, it’s trying to protect you — not help you thrive.

And here’s the truth: glowing isn’t a reward for productivity. It’s a reflection of safety.

Glow happens when you feel clear, connected, and calm — when your system is anchored in what’s called ventral vagal activation.

So What Can We Do Instead?

The opposite of fixing isn’t apathy. It’s feeling.

Here are 5 real-world ways to break the fixing loop — gently:

1. ✨ From Overdoing to Micro-Moving

Instead of jumping into a full-body reset, try a 5-minute somatic stretch or a simple hand-to-heart check-in.

2. ✍🏼 From Solving in Journaling to Sensing

Layer in sensory journaling: describe the texture, weight, or color of what you’re feeling in your body — not just what’s on your mind.

3. 🌬️ From Biohacking to Breath Awareness

Pause. Inhale like you’re smelling flowers. Exhale like you’re fogging a mirror. Let your system know: we’re safe now.

4. 🚶🏻‍♀️ From Productivity to Recalibration

Take a gentle walk — no podcast, no multitasking. Just you, your body, and your rhythm.

5. 💼 From Performance to Presence

Let stuckness in your strategy sink into your body. Where is it sitting? Breathe into that place. Trust what emerges.

Why This Matters

Because this isn’t just about fixing your stress — it’s about no longer fixing yourself into burnout.

Your glow, your power, your clarity — they’re not waiting at the end of a checklist.

They’re waiting for you to come home to your body.

Want to Go Deeper?

🌀 Join us inside Gather, our digital home for body-led living and nervous system glow.
🔥 Sign up for Freeze to Flow, our signature in-person experience.
💬 DM us @achievher with the word GLOW if this resonated – we’d love to hear your story.

You don’t need another system to fix you.
You need space to feel you.